Articulated car



June 28, 1932. A w. CLARKE 1,865,407

ARTICULATED CAR Filed Dec. 22, 1950 ran Patented June 28, 19332 STATES PATENT fil flgli ALLEN W. CLARKE, 01E RIDGEVV 001), NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T AMERICAN CAR AND FOUNDRY COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y A CORPGRATION OF NEW JERSEY ARTICULATED CAR Application filed December 22, 1930. Serial No. 504,012.

This invention relates to articulated cars of the type in which the adjacent portions of two car bodies are supported by a common truck known in the art as a pivot truck.

One object of the present invention is the provision of a new and improved articulated joint for railway cars.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an articulated car comprising a plurality of car bodies arranged end to end, the adjacent end portions of said bodies being each supported by a truck bolster, there being two bolsters in the truck, the said adj acent end portions being coupled together in such a manner as to transmit pulling stresses from the bodies to the truck and from one body to another and to preventexcessive relative vertical and sidewise shifting of the car bodies. A further object of this invention is the provision of a new and improved coupling means for the adjacent end portions of two bodies of an articulated car.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which similar characters of reference designate similar parts in the several views.

In the drawing: V

Fig. 1 is a central vertical sectional view through the joint of the present invention, showing portions of the underframes of adj acent car bodies.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 22, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail view, partly in section, showing a modification of the means for securing the pivot pin.

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view showing a modification of the coupling means, and

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view showing the connection of the coupling member to the body connection casting.

Referring more particularly to the drawing the invention is designed to couple together two car bodies, of which only portions of the underframes are shown as the bodies may assume any desired form. As illustrated, the underframes include spaced channels 2 defining center sills between which channels body connection castings l are arranged, the latter being of dimensions such that the side walls thereof will rest against the webs of channels 2 whereby the castings may be secured thereto by fasteners such as rivets 6.

The castings l are identical and each comprises a body portion, hollow in the instance shown, provided with a front end wall 8 from which a socket 10 projects; the socket having top, bottom and side walls 12, 14 and 16 respectively. When the car bodies are arranged end to end as is usual, the sockets 1O face each other shown clearly in Fig. 2 and receive a multi-part coupling member indicated generally at 18 and comprising a male member 20 and a female member 22.

The coupling member is preferably formed of a pair of castings each thereof having a pocket 24 formed in the rear end thereof and a vertical rib 26 arranged in the pocket parallel to and intermediate of the side walls 28 of said pocket. The side walls 28 and the rib 26 are provided with alined openings the edges of which are stiffened by integral bosses 80, and pins 32 extend through the side walls 16 of the .sockets and through the openings in the coupling members to pivotally secure the members in position in the sockets. Gotters 34 or other suitable retainers are preferably utilized to secure the pins 32 against accidental displacement.

The male member 20 is provided with a horizontally arranged tongue 36 projecting from its forward end thereby providing a stiffening flange 37 intermediate the tongue and the pocket; the tongue being adapted to extend into a recess 38 formed in the front end of the parallel member 22. To obtain the necessary flexibility of parts the recess 38 tapers from the front and rear ends respectively toward the center as clearly shown in Fig. 1. It will be apparent that because of the formation of the recess 38 the tongue 36 has a relatively loose fit in said recess and this permits a certain amount of relative vertical shifting which is necessary due to variations in track grades but excessive vertical shifting between the two car bodies is prevented. Due to the connections of the rear ends of the parts of the coupling member it will be obvious that excessive relative sidewise shifting of the car bodies is prevented.

For connecting the members 20 and 22 a pivot pin 40 is provided which, in Fig. 1 is shown as extending through the tongue and groove connection of the coupling members into atransverse truck member indicated generally at 42 and comprising spaced transoms 44: and a cast bridging member 46 secured to said transoms and provided with an upstanding neck 48 through which the lower end of the pin 40 extends The head 50 of the pin is preferably countersunk in member 22 and the lower end of the pin is provided with a key 52 which supports a retainer plate 54 for preventing accidental vertical displacement of the pin. Fig. 3 discloses a modification of the retainer for pin 40 and in this instance the lower end of the pin is provided with a slot 56, and a key 58 passes through the neck 48 and through the slot in said key.

Fig. discloses a modification in which the pivot pin which extends through the parts 20 and 22 of the coupling member does not extend into a truck part. In this instance the pin is designated at 60 and pivotally connects the parts of the coupling member.

The adjacent end portions of the car bodies are supported by a common truck. In the drawing the truck is not shown completely as it may assume any preferred or desired form. Only such parts of the truck as are necessary to an understanding of this invention are shown and described. The truck used with the present invention is provided with a pair of independent bolsters indicated at 62 and the transverse truck member 412 is arranged intermediate these bolsters as clearly shownin Fig. 1. Depending from the ends of the body connection castings 4e are arcuate shaped or segmental body bearings 6-1 which are adapted to engage in truck bearing plates 66 carried by the upper surfaces of the bolsters and of arcuate shape as clearly shown in Fig. 2. It is to be noted that the truck is provided with a pair of bolsters and each bolster is provided with a truck bearing plate, and the end portions of the car bodies are provided with body bearings and each bolster has one body bearing assigned to it thereby providing a construction in which the end portions of the car bodies are each individually supported by one bolster of a two bolster truck.

From the above description it is believed that the construction of the present invention will be fully apparent to those skilled in the art. In use pulling stresses are transmitted from one body to the other through the coupling member 18 and the pin 40 and further. pulling stresses are transmitted from the bodies to the truck through the connected body and truck bearings and also through the coupling element 18, the pin 40 and the transverse truck member 42. In rounding curves in tracks the car bodies and more particularly the adjacent end portions thereof may swivel relative to each other about the pivot pin 40 as a center, the connected or interengag'ed body and truck bearings moving relative to each other in an obvious manner. It will also be apparent that relative sidewise shifting of the bodies is reduced to a minimum or in other words excessive relative sidewise shifting is prevented due to the connections of the coupling member parts 20 and 22 with the body castings 4 and this in conjunction with the connection by the pin 40 inasmuch as the latter, in the instance shown in Fig. 1, has its lower end extended into a transverse truck member. Due to breaks in track grades a certain amount of relative vertical shifting of the bodies is necessary and this is permitted by the construction of the rear ends of the parts of the coupling member 18; said rear ends havingtheir top and bottom walls 68 and 70 respectively rounded. The necessary relative vertical shifting is also permitted due to the conformation of the recess 38 in the female member 22 of the coupling element but it will be apparent that relative vertical shifting is confined within definite limits whereby to prevent excessive relative vertical shifting.

The drawing discloses certain embodiments of the invention but it is to be understood that they are for illustrative purposes only and various changes in the form and proportions of the constructions shown may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In an articulated car, a truck having a pair of bolsters, car bodies having their adj acent end portions connected respectively to said bolsters for horizontal swiveling movement, and a combined multipart coupling element and buffer member extending between and pivotally connected at its ends to the adjacent end portions of said bodies.

2. In an articulated car. a truck having a pair of bolsters, car bodies having their adjacent end portions connected respectively to said bolsters for horizontal swiveling movement. a transverse truck member intermediate the bolsters, a multipart coupling element extending between and connected to the end portions of said bodies. and a pivot pin connecting the parts of said coupling element, said pivot pin extending into the transverse truck member and defining the center of rotation of the adjacent end portions of said bodies.

3. In an articulated car. a truck having a pair of bolsters, car bodies having their adjacent end portions connected respectively to said bolsters for horizontal swiveling movement, and means for connecting the adjacent end portions of said bodies and for transmitting buffing shocks from one body to the other and for transmitting pulling stresses from the bodies to the truck comprising a multipart coupling member arranged between and pivotally connected to the adjacent end portions of said car bodies, and a pivot pin connecting the parts of said coupling member and arranged at the center of swiveling movement of the respective bodies said pin being connected to a transverse truck member.

4. In an articulated car, a truck having a pair of bolsters, car bodies having their adjacent end portions connected respectively to said bolsters for horizontal swiveling move ment. a coupling element pivotally secured to the end portion of one body and provided with a recess, and a coupling element pivotally secured to the adjacent body and pivotally secured to the other coupling element in the recess.

5. In an articulated car comprising a plurality of spaced car bodies, a truck supporting the adjacent end portions of two of said bodies and provided with a pair of bolsters, one each for supporting one of said portions, a transverse truck member intermediate the bolsters, and means pivotally connected with the transverse truck member for transmitting bufiing shocks from one car body to the other and for maintaining the bodies in spaced relation.

6. In an articulated car, a plurality of car bodies, a truck for supporting the adjacent end portions of said bodies, said truck having a pair of bolsters, the bolsters being arranged respectively under the end portions of said bodies, interengaged segmental body and truck bearings for connecting said bodies and truck, a transverse truck member intermediate the bolsters, and a multipart coupling member pivotally secured to the adjacent end portions of the car bodies and connected to the transverse member.

7. In an articulated car, plurality of car bodies and means connecting the adjacent end portions of said bodies comprising a multipart coupling member pivotally secured to said adjacent end portions in a horizontal plane for preventing excessive relative ver tical shifting of the bodies and having the parts thereof pivotally connected in interengaged relation in a vertical plane to prevent excessive relative sidewise shifting of said bodies.

8 In an articulated car, means for connecting the adjacent end portions of two car bodies comprising socketed members secured to the adjacent end portions of said bodies, a multipart coupling member having its opposite ends arranged in the sockets and pivotally secured therein in a horizontal plane, and means pivotally connecting the parts of said coupling in a vertical plane.

9. A coupling member for connecting adjacent end portions of two bodies of an ar ticulated car comprising a pair of members connected together in interengaged relation and capable of relative horizontal swiveling, the opposite ends of said coupling member being provided with horizontal slots.

10. In an articulated car comprising a plurality of car bodies, a truck for supporting the adjacent end portions of said bodies provided with a pair of bolsters, one each for supporting a car end portion, a transverse v truck member intermediate the bolsters, a jointed coupling member arranged between and connected to the adjacent end portions of said bodies, and a pivot pin extending through the coupling member into the transverse t-ruclr member.

11. In an articulated car comprising a plurality of car bodies having their adjacent end portions respectively supported for swiveling movement on a pair of truck bolsters, means connecting the adjacent end portions to transmit pulling stresses from one body to the other and from the bodies to the truck and for preventing an excessive relative vertical and sidewise shifting, comprising a multipart coupling member pivotally secured at its opposite ends to the adjacent end portions of said bodies in a horizontal plane and having the parts thereof pivotally connected together in a vertical plane.

12. In an articulated car, a plurality of car bodies, body connection castings secured to the adjacent end portions of said bodies and provided with sockets at their forward ends and with body bearings, a truck having a pair of bolsters with which the body bearings are respectively engaged, a coupling member between the adjacent end portions of said bodies having the ends thereof arranged in the sockets, and means extending through the coupling member to engage a truck part for retaining the bodies in spaced relation and for transmitting pulling stresses from the bodies to the truck.

18. In combination, a pair of car bodies, a connecting element arranged between the adjacent end portions of said bodies and pivotally secured thereto in a horizontal plane, and a single truck for supporting the adjacent end portions of said bodies, said truck hav ing a pair of bolsters each provided with a segmental bearing plate.

14:. In an articulated car, a truck having a pair of bolsters, car bodies with their adjacent end portions connected respectively to said bolsters for horizontal swiveling movement, and a multipart coupling element extending between the adjacent end portions of said bodies and pivotally connected adjacent its opposite ends to said end portions in a horizontal plane.

15. In an articulated car, a truck having a pair of bolsters, car bodies with their adjacent end portions connected respectively to said bolsters for horizontal swiveling movement, and a combined multipart coupling element and buffer interposed between the adjacent end portions of the bodies for transmitting bufiing shocks from one body to the other, said element being vpivotally connected in a horizontal plane adjacent its opposite ends to said end portions.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

ALLEN V. CLARKE. 

